Comments on: Comparing Tarsem's 'Fall' and 'Cell' to Romanek's 'Bedtime Story'

By: Ben

Ben — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 05:38:23 +0000

Wow, nice comparison! Some of those connections are eerily similar.

By: cz

cz — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 02:26:13 +0000

I'd say both cribbed a little from Baraka, it would seem. I must see this Tarsem flick! looks great.

By: Jim

Jim — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 04:58:07 +0000

Having just watched Mark Romanek's Director's Label DVD and now flicking through the little booklet with it, I see that Romanek and Tarsem are close friends. He talks about how "it's ok to steal if you steal with a certain amount of panache and cleverness" which at least part-learnt through Tarsem.

Some interesting stuff about this, with Brothers Quay work being shown to have heavily influenced both Romanek and Tarsem again, on Belief Design's Pollinate http://vimeo.com/1691164

So you're definitely onto something, but they're both great artists in their own right also.

By: mottanz

mottanz — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:32:43 +0000

This comparison is obvious. I actually did not know Romanek directed Bedtime Story. I was researching Tarsem's other work and knew he did music videos as well as films. I was looking for Bedtime Story on his list of credits. So, yes, I too see the similarity.

I just wanted to point out in the list of visual comparison's above that the image from The Cell with the three women in black caps is a direct reference to a painting by Odd Nerdrum, contemporary Dutch painter, entitled "Dawn".

I think all great artists use reference in their work, and I think that whether a painter references a film maker or a film maker references another film maker, it the basis of what art is…a synthesis of human life…a reinvention of stimulation, sensation, emotion, memory etc…all the good stuff.

I am going to research Romanek now. Glad I made the connection through Tarsem.